The Baltimore Orioles were represented by five players in the 2024 MLB All-Star game. But it was Anthony Santander who won the game for the American League team.
Baltimore’s veteran slugger hit a single off of Hunter Greene in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jarren Duran followed him up with a 413-foot blast to put the AL team up 5-3.
That was the final score, and Santander’s home plate touch to make it 4-3 would go on to be the game winning run.
He talked about with reporters postgame.
“Ah, that’s awesome, especially when you get on base with two outs, 0-2 count and the hitter behind me hit a homer for the win,” Santander said, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. “That’s something really good to get on base. I got a little bit a piece of the win right there. As soon as he hit it I knew I was scoring. I got a really good angle right there.”
Corbin Burnes, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jordan Westburg were all in attendance as well. But none had a definitive part in the victory like Santander.
With the festivities over, the Orioles will have off for a few days before resuming the 2024 season on July 19. They’ll travel to Texas to face the reigning World Series champs for a three-game series.
Rutschman, Westburg Talk Santander’s Big Hit
Santander’s teammates were thrilled for him, the former Rule 5 draft pick now an All-Star outfielder.
Westburg shared a moment with his teammate after the infield hit.
“I was yelling at him in the dugout,” Westburg said according to Kubatko. “He turned to me, we made eye contact, connected there. That was pretty cool. It was just fun rooting our guys on. It was fun watching Burnes do his thing from the dugout, which is something I don’t get to do a whole lot. Adley gets to catch him. What a perfect combination there. And Gunnar’s the starting shortstop. It was really cool.”
Rutschman echoed Westburg’s sentiments on playing with his All-Star teammates.
“It’s great,” Rutschman said, according to Kubatko. “All the guys have a lot of love for each other. It’s pretty cool. This is a lifelong moment for us.”
The rest of Baltimore’s bats went 0-for-4 at the plate. Burnes pitched a scoreless first inning on 19 pitches. Now they’ll look to ride the momentum of the event into stringing together wins for an Orioles team currently positioned as World Series hopefuls.
Pitching A Need For Orioles Ahead Of Trade Deadline
With the All-Star game over with, general manager Mike Elias and the Baltimore front office can turn their full attention to the Juy 30 trade deadline.
In a season where it seems every team could use pitching help, the Orioles will have to be aggressive if they’re to land another starter or relievers in a deal.
As of July 16, the Baltimore is down all of Danny Cuolombe (expected out until September), Kyle Bradish (out for season), John Means (out for season), Tyler Wells (out for season). That’s three starters and the team’s best reliever.
Burnes, Dean Kremer, and Grayson Rodriguez are the only remaining mainstays in the rotation.
Elias will seemingly have to make a move for another arm, if not arms. One report from Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci suggests he’s intent on doing just that.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, two first-place teams who know they are not October ready, have the same name at the top of their shopping list: left-handed ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers,” Verducci wrote in his July 15 column.
Skubal, the No. 1 pitcher for Tigers, is among the best starters in the majors, pitching 116 innings in 2024, throwing 140 strikeouts and holding a 2.41 ERA.
He represents just one of many options on the budding trade market with weeks to go.
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